Marcus Rashford has been warned his enormous wages could cause dressing room issues at Aston Villa if he fails to perform.
The forward, who has had a challenging period at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, sealed a loan move to Villa Park for the remainder of the season in the closing days of the window. Additionally, Villa secured an option to make the transfer permanent for £40m in the summer.
The deal could turn out to be a brilliant move for Villa boss Unai Emery if Rashford can find his previous level of performance, but it also carries considerable risk. Reports suggest that the Midlands club will bear a substantial part of Rashford’s salary for the six-month stint.
It is believed they will pay at least 75 per cent of his £315,000-a-week wages, which might increase to as much as 90 per cent. Former United and Wrexham shot-stopper Ben Foster has expressed concerns that Rashford’s high earnings could lead to discontent among the Villa squad members if he fails to contribute effectively, despite his hope that Rashford will excel at his new club.
Rashford’s attitude to training was previously called into question by Amorim, and Foster worries that his alleged lack of effort could become an issue once more. “I think he has lost the love, the hunger and the willingness to do that at Manchester United,” Foster commented on his Fozcast podcast. “The pressure at that football club is like no other football club in the whole entire world.”
“There will still be a lot of focus on him playing for Aston Villa but if he can get off to a good start and show on the pitch that he’s happy and he’s running around giving it everything he’s got… that’s what we want to see from Marcus Rashford.”
He also warned the England international that Emery will be ruthless if he struggles to make an impact at his new club, adding: “He can do it and I think that’s the bit that everybody’s been so frustrated with is that he’s got it in him, but he’s just choosing not to do it. He won’t have a choice with Unai Emery, because if he doesn’t start doing it from the get-go, he will not last whatsoever.
“It’s good for Villa but it’s also a bit of a risk because the wages could unsettle the rest of the players, if he comes into that squad and he’s not putting in the effort in training.”
Rashford has struggled to regain his form at United since the 2022/23 season, when he scored 30 goals in 56 games. Since then, the United academy graduate has managed just 15 goals in 67 appearances.
The situation escalated last month when United manager Ruben Amorim made a surprising comment, saying he would rather have 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital on the bench than Rashford. Foster warned that Rashford’s reported attitude problem will not be tolerated by Emery at Villa and that he needs to change his approach if he wants to revive his career.
He said: “It’s a massive opportunity for Rashford to rediscover his career, to kick start it, to get going again, to start scoring some goals and playing football with a smile on his face. I think that’s what everybody wants to see, but it’s going to take some doing from him as well.
“It’s going to be interesting to see whether he fits into that Aston Villa team the way that Emery likes to set his team up.”